TUDO DRETU‏

 

 
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  Brenton Jackson
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• Brenton Jackson
  brenton.jackson@myldsmail.net
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Tudo beemmmmmm irmaos e irmas. This week I spent some time catching up on emails so I don't have as much time to email this big ol' group. But it's not for lack of love for you all! Just a lack of time since....

We're leaving in an hour to drive to Elder Carvalho, excuse me--Assistant to the President Elder Carvalho, to the mission home to begin his AP duties. And with that I'll hit you with this stunner of a transfer change (which many of you probably don't care about but some will understand:

Elder Carvalho is now AP Carvalho,
Elder MacJanet is training a brand new missionary,
Elder Lopes and I are receiving a third companion Elder Vecchi,
AND 3 weeks I'm transferring to Dorchester, opening a new area and training, again. YUP!

So I have three weeks notice before I'll leave to open up Dorchester. There's a new Portuguese speaking missionary coming and I'll be there to meet him. It's a little bit more responsibility than I was expecting, when I thought for sure I would stay. But the Lord is teaching me line upon line; when I began, the idea of starting my mission was terrifying and new, then leaving the MTC for Boston was scary, then when that happened teaching and learning in real life was scary, then coming to Brockton when I didn't speak Portuguese was scary, then finding out I was taking over the area and training was scary, then finding out I'm leaving to open a new area and train is scary. But it has demonstrated to me the truth of 2 Nephi 28:30. To him that receiveth I will give more. The Lord surprises us with change, with steps upward; then once we realize we can, and we do, He gives us more to do. More to achieve. And thus, step by step, we learn who God really is and what we have to do to be like Him.

Yesterday we had a fantastic baptism. Baptisms in the Brockton branch are always crazy, because things always go different than planned, but it was awesome. Luisa was baptized by her husband and took the first step back home. SO COOL.

Love,

Elder Jackson

Listen to all, then repeat: elephant, desk, carrot, lamp, motorcycle, giraffe, radish.....‏

This week in Brockton:

 

-Had a sweet lesson with Raymond before he departed for Portugal. Gonna get things figured out when he comes back this week, and we have a plan. It will involve Mosiah 3:19 and hopefully some revelation. 

 

-Increased our visits with Luisa immensely to prepare her for her baptism next Sunday. I keep learning more about how long and grueling of a process this has been for her since last October, and its thrilling to be a part of preparing her for it, right now, for real this time. She's got family names preparing for the temple. We're gonna be on it like white on rice, because you know the last week before baptism is the hardest to get through.

 

-Tuesday was taken up by a sweet zone conference, which ended with President Packard giving a talk about pride. I realized that pride really is the enemy of discipleship. The enemy of consecration, the enemy of contentment, the enemy of Zion-- pride. Nephi describes it plainly (as usual): 

"And in fine, wo unto all those who tremble, and are angry because of the truth of God! For behold, he that is built upon the rock receiveth it with gladness; and he that is built upon a sandy foundation trembleth lest he shall fall." 2 Nephi 28:28

-Wednesday we did a division with the zone leaders; Elder Lopes my son went to Return and Report (meeting for trainers and new missionaries) with E. Sowards and I went to my neuropsych eval with E. Mangelson. There I was given a 5 hour battery of mental exercises that essentially tested tested and aggravated my brain in all the ways that make the symptoms worse! It was pretty fun though. I got to put pegs in a pegboard, remember long strings of numbers and letters, redraw pictures and shapes from memory ("did you take art in school?"), and be completely frustrated by a card matching test that had NO DISCERNIBLE PATTERN. But in two weeks, give or take, we'll know if I've got ADD or just about any other mental dysfunction. If you want to test yourself, do this:

-Have someone read these once to you: 6a4j8p5s2t

now repeat those numbers, but with the numbers in numerical order followed by the letters in alphabetical order. answer: 24568ajpst. I'll have you know... I think I got one of the ten-character ones right. word.

ENOUGH ABOUT THAT.

-I saw Luigi and Carlos after not seeing them in a week or so. I love those kids. They alone would make my whole mission worth it. 

-Socorro came to a lesson with us on Saturday, was a fantastic missionary, shared her baptism story which almost made me cry (...almost), and afterwards told us that she wants to go on a mission with her husband when she's older. first step is that her husband actually needs to join the church :) BUT HE MAY BE COMING TO AMERICA NEXT MONTH. Cross ya fingahs

-We were reunited with William after he spent a glorious week at scout camp. They asked him to come up and talk about the experience in sacrament meeting, but he wasn't in the room, so I dashed down the hallway, found him coming out of the bathroom and sent him up to the pulpit to speak. Wouldn't you know it, he didn't know before scout camp why the church cared about scouts at all, but what did he learn? He learned that a lot of scouts live the same standards we do as members of the church, so he's glad we are a part of it to help strengthen the young men and be with other boys who are living good lives. What a boss.

I've heard bits and pieces that the world is falling apart in the middle east/ukraine. tbh, we don't really hear about any of it because most people in brockton don't really watch world news. but I'm glad we've got the rock to build on, and I'm glad we don't have to tremble. A quote from President Packard: 

 

"Those of us who have fully consecrated ourselves should expect these types of experiences (spiritual/physical trials and challenges), and when they come (and they will come) we will not shirk and we will not run. We will not be “very sorrowful” because the Lord asks everything of us. Nor will we endure our challenges with shoulder shrugging apathy, but with shoulder squaring determination. After all, if all we do is “get through it,” we will have missed the point and will have suffered without growth. However, with the Lord’s help, these experiences can teach our minds, enlarge our souls, and deepen our spiritual capacities."

Couldn't say it any better. 

Love,
Elder Jackson

GOSTEI

Bem-vindos everybody, this email's coming at you early because we've got a zone p-day today!

This week was full of baptismal preparations, disappointments, successes and miracles. but the end was a glorious baptism of Tony, Nuno and Nando.

Tony was somebody that helped me see my purpose in being here in Brockton instead of brazil. When I arrived here the missionaries had taught him so many times (several sets of missionaries over 8 months) and had seen a lack of commitment from him; thus E. Lopes was understandably reluctant to try to reestablish contact with him. but I pushed for it for reasons I didn't really understand. And when we finally met with him, he told that he had been waiting and that he still wanted to join the church and be baptized. Even with that desire, we struggled to get him to church on Sundays, but with endurance things changed; he's come to each Sunday the past month and on Saturday he was baptized. E. Lopes #1 came up from Connecticut for the baptism, and he told me "Elder Jackson, its a good thing you came along, because otherwise we wouldn't have tried again with Tony." And I felt like the Spirit witness that I had been sent here to help with this work, with these specific people. No credit is due to the miniscule capacities of Elder Jackson. I just came here and tried. And the Lord prepared it all. I cannot see him preparing it, but I hope for it, and I believe in it, and it is true.

Another tender mercy? Watching William give his first talk yesterday in church, 1.5 months after he was baptized. about dating. he's 13. but when I went over Sunday morning to make sure he felt okay about it, he showed me the outline he had written on his phone based on the Strength of Youth pamphlet. he didn't even write out his talk. he just went up there and gave it. and even though he forgot to end "in the name of Jesus Christ, amen", but rather said "that's all.... thank you", it was awesome and I felt like a proud parent. I love these guys. 

Other successes? My son Elder Lopes the Second is growing up faster than the morning glory in my windowsill.  We found six new people to teach this week. We have two more people set to be baptized and join this church on the 27th. Although the health struggle continues, I get to have a bunch of diodes glued to my head on Wednesday while some doctors poke around my brainwaves. There's nothing better.

Random scripture of the day:

"8 I behold that ye are lowly in heart; and if so, blessed are ye.

 9 Behold thy brother hath said, What shall we do?--for we are cast out of our synagogues, that we cannot worship our God.

10 Behold I say unto you, do ye suppose that ye cannot worship God save it be in your synagogues only?

11 And moreover, I would ask, do ye suppose that ye must not worship God only once in a week?"

Lurv,

Elder Jackson

p.s. Shoutout to Mama Jackson for making cookies so good, they can sit in the post office for 4 days and still make a grown man cry.

p.p.s pictures: Tony is the one next to e. Lopes, and Andre is his best friend who is a priest. Andre practiced the baptism with all 200lbs of Elder Jackson, just so he knew he could do it with 100lbs of Tony. Also, Tony doesn't know how to smile. That's legit what he told us when we took these pictures.

Greetings from Elder Bomba

My dear dear people,

SHOUTOUT TO PAPAI NOEL, Mark Jackson, for whom the country celebrated once again this July 4th. He's worth it. 

Life is good. This week has been full of ups and downs, lefts and rights, crazy driving and crazy contacting, appointments dropped and miracles occurred. If I had the memory of Sister Jenna Jackson I would be able to give you a play-by-play of the weeks highlights but by Monday I've forgotten everything! But here are some of the coolest:

-Met Dee Dee, whose friend Iggy is on a "spiritual journey" here in the US. He's from Nigeria and is staying with her while here in Brockton. And we had a sweet discussion about our mutual purposes while Dee Dee demonstrated true southern Alabamian hospitality but feeding us and calling us sweetheart. Plus I learned how to cut a tomato the right way

 

-I had my first experience of contacting someone who's been prepared by friendship with a member of the church, a member who was partially reactivated by William our recent convert. It's a miraculous sequence of events all around and I really think something big could come of it!

-We went over the baptismal interview questions with Raymond and it was a powerfully spiritual experience. He's ready. Plus when we talked about family history on Saturday, we discovered he already basically has his 4 generation chart filled, due to a 6 month genealogical trip his cousin took a year or two ago. Next Saturday, the 12th, will be the day. 

It's time for me to jet--- gotta go eat some Brazilian stroganoff and play soccer with all the kids of Brockton. 

Love,
Elder Jackson

 

p.s. Photo: walking around in Arthur..

The Trek Continues

Hello my dear friends and family--

The first full week of training was a little more difficult than the golden first two days (something that seems ironically backward but whatevs). I don't have all that much to update on actually. But here's the Lord's hand in my life. In the past 1.5 weeks,

-my ability to follow the Spirit and find those who are waiting is way stronger

-my language ability has gone way up (at least according to Elder Miller and others)

-my preoccupation with my head and the lyme stuff has gone way down. 

Those big three are not insignificant. They are the three biggest stresses of my mission so far and the Lord is healing them. Or like Alma's people, he's making them bearable. I'm living Mosiah 24 right now and it feels... good. 

Had to spend a day and a half inside due to intense abdominal pain-- at first we thought it might be appendicitis, but by the second day it was going away and Elder Miller cleared me. He said it might have been an infection in my appendix but not appendicitis, which was relieving. They did a follow up blood test for white cell count when i was at Mass Gen this week and said all was normal, so no worries with that.

We've got four people - Jose, Raymond, Tony and Luisa - marked for baptism in the month of July, and its gonna take all we have to make it happen. I'd love your prayers pweeeez.

My biggest goal right now came from a discussion we had with Elder Miller last night. I mentioned I was worried about doing the things I need to do on my mission in order to change my nature for the man/leader I need to be after the mission. And he responded that if I keep focusing on that I may not get there. He said the key to become a fully consecrated church member is not focusing on yourself, but losing it all in your love and service of the Lord. Its been hard-- I've focused more on myself than I wanted to on my mission because of the medical stuff and trying to not let it stop me. But now it'll change. I've got a companion who needs my help and direction and an area that needs my every thought. So I'll give all I can to the Lord, and not worry about things I can't control... like what I'll end up being after the mission.  Time to get to work!

Love,
Elder Jackson

First week of being a dad

My son has arrived! Carried by the stork from Utah to Boston and dropped into my waiting arms. A little awkward because he's the same size as me. But hey.... like father like son.

This week has been pretty nuts. Or rather the past 3 days, since when I went to transfer meeting on Wednesday my greenie wasn't there!!! (my missionary life never goes according to plan). So that night I couldn't go home alone with the sisters, so I slept at the APs apartment and spent the next day in the mission home with all the missionaries that were going home! TRUNKY FEST! I even heard all of President's "marriage and dating" advice. So useful for me right now. 

Anyways, turns out he was still in Utah because after the MTC he had to go back to his home in west jordan to take an american citizenship test. Because.... he's BRAZILIAN! and his name?

Elder Lopes.

I thought when I watch Lopinho #1 drive away I would be Lopes-free for a good long while, but this new guy just wanted otherwise. So here's his story:

Elder Thiago Lopes, born in Sao Paulo to part member parents, moved to utah at 4 years old, after several years and sets of missionaries his mom joined the church and is now stalwart. Lived in Sugarhouse (the homeland of my mother for those who don't know) and then moved to West Jordan. Went to Westminster college in Utah to play soccer. He's fluent in portuguese and even more fluent in english, aka perfect for brockton. He's got ears like satellites and is just a really relaxed and happy guy-- something I need with my tendency to overstress the little things. It's gonna be good stuff here.

Our first day as real life missionaries was Friday, Sexta, and his very first lesson (unplanned but prompted while walking the street) was someone we contacted on the street a few weeks ago. He took us in and talked about his dissatisfaction with religion and how the concept of confession to a priest didn't make sense to him. We talked about the true nature of repentance and left him Alma 22 and 36 to read-- he held the Book of Mormon/Livro de Mormon with tenderness I haven't seen very often here in Brockton. Good first experience for Elder Lopes, neh?

We were driving to another appointment when I felt like we should turn around-- we stopped by Niquinha's house where our long-lost friend Malique happened to be inside. Were able to teach quickly from Matthew 24:9 and figure out the family issues that are keeping him from being baptized.

Our next lesson was Jesse. Before we went in I decided to share Mosiah 24 and talk about how the Lord can relieve our burdens without taking them away. When we talked to him he was down... and at the end of the lesson said that he had been thinking of leaving the church until his family situation improved. He said that we showed up and shared exactly what he needed, and he wasn't gonna leave. Elder Lopes thought that was totally sweet...

Another tender mercy: Elder Lopes 2.0 loves dragon ball z. so our Epic Dragon Ball Z Moments of History can continue with william unabated!!! good thing too because I know absolutely nothing 

Then at the very end of the day we decided to stop by Jose de Barros, who we haven't been able to meet two weeks. Talked about the gospel of Jesus Christ and how in order to be baptized he would have to give up some things. Good thing E. Lopes can speak Portuguese because he picked my mess up off the floor after I tried to explain an overview of the law of chastity.... I had him lead the discussion with Jose and his did fantastic. He's a natural teacher. All he needs is the scriptural resources and he'll be a complete package. The Lord's going easy on me with this one.

And I'll end with the most exciting news, which actually happened before Lopes 2.0 arrived and before Lopinho packed and left Brockton. Last Monday night, after I emailed you guys, we went over to Raymond and Djara's house so Lopinho could say goodbye. And when we got there, Ray hit us with a surprise... he's decided to get baptized! After many sets of missionaries and probably 2 years of teaching, he received the answer he was waiting for. It came through a recent convert that I sent to go talk to him in church before sacrament. I don't know all of what he said to Raymond, but he decided right then he would do it. All his many doubts and fears, about the priesthood and joseph smith and everything else, have been gradually answered or soothed. He's ready. Language can't express what I felt when he told us that. On Lopes' last night with them here in Brockton. 

The Lord loves us and he chastens and lifts and surprises us every day. Even when we don't know it. Especially when we don't think we deserve it. I've felt it firsthand here in my "extremities". See you all next week!

Love,
Elder Jackson

p.s. i realized that this email makes training sound really easy but don't worry, it's the hardest thing I've ever done 

p.p.s. lopinho with raymond and fam after he told us,

america, cape verde, canada and brasil

 

 

um pouco mais de verde‏

First things first friends and family, I love you all. I pray for you, not always by name but in my heart. I hope those prayers make a difference. Because you all know that prayers from a missionary are worth like 10% more than normal prayers. JUST KIDDING! (no respector of persons)

This week was spent doing many things, finding many people, but the most focused efforts were spent preparing those who were just baptized to go to the temple with family names. This is a mission goal. Statistically there's a much higher retention among those that go to the temple within a month after they are baptized into this church. Which makes sense-- preparing to, and being, baptized in the Church of Jesus Christ is like a spiritual nitro boost but what a lot of people experience is spiritual whiplash when that nitro seems to run out. But in reality, our spiritual progression is not meant to end the sunday after we get baptized. It is a ladder upward and each step fills us more. That's why going to the temple soon after baptism matters so much for these converts. It means everything to them. So this week we made it happen.

On Saturday, after waking up at 4:50am and helping William to get up too, we took William, Socorro, Luigi and Carlos to the Boston temple. They LOVED it (see picture above. Some cape verdeans really don't know how to smile in pictures but I promise you they are smiling on the inside). William and Socorro especially had really powerful experiences there. our mission president, president packard, was there with President Haight as well. Socorro said that when President Packard saw Carlos he got really emotional and took him personally to go get changed into white. Not sure why but it touched her heart nonetheless.

And with that I will give you the exciting/terrifying news of the week:

Lopes is transferred to Ashford, CT.

I am training!!!!!

I spent Friday and Saturday terrified for 4 reasons:

1) I've never taken over an area before and of all places Brockton has the most people to keep track of 

2) The greenie will arrive so I will take on like 80% of the work for the next while 

3) My brain fog and fatigue are still affecting my proselyting ability and annoying the heck out of me

4) I'll have to do it all in Portuguese. 

So I was honestly like sick with worry about all these things Saturday night... but Sunday kinda saved me. Elder Lopes spent most of his time saying goodbye to people so the burden of the most stressful day of the week, ironically Sunday #dayofnorest, fell on my shoulders. And I conseguir'd. It worked out. I was awkward on the phone (still can't understand 80% of portuguese over the phone) but it was alright. I made lots of mistakes, but no one minded. And considering I'm not exactly immersed, the fact that people understand me is miraculous.

I'm still super nervous. But two scriptures help me a ton when I think of the pattern by which God calls and qualifies in the midst of affliction:

"And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.

And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.

And it came to pass that so great was their faith and their patience that the voice of the Lord came unto them again, saying: Be of good comfort, for on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage." -- Mosiah 24:14-16; see also Jeremiah 1:5-9

The Lord doesn't always take away our burdens when we ask him to (sometimes not his prerogative, but ours... see D&C 101), BUT he will so often strengthen us that with time, the same burden which "encompassed us about" (2 Nephi 4) is just made easy to bear. 

So here's my prediction. 

The Lord will not magically make me fluent without hard work and study, but maybe he'll make me less embarrassed with my mistakes and the people I teach able to understand and not be critical. The Lord will not magically make me wake up feeling 100% one day, but maybe he'll give me the most incredibly prepared greenie of all time who will be able to pull his weight right from the start. LOLJK. I know I'm dreaming with that one. But who knows!!!

I can't tell you what to think, or what to believe. My testimony isn't eloquent in Portuguese, but here's the jist of what I teach here in Brockton. 

I know God lives. I have known it for a long time, but I know it now also. I know His son, Jesus Christ, is our living Savior. I know it is through Him that we can have eternal life. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet, and my testimony of him comes from the Book of Mormon, which I know is true. This is the one true church of Jesus Christ on the earth, but you don't have to take my word for it. Come and see.

Love,
Elder Jackson